durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 31, 2022 | | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a whollyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@durhamregion.com facebook.com/newsdurham @newsdurham WHO WE ARE Vice President Dana Robbins Regional General Manager Anne Beswick Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Managing Editor Mike Lacey Director of Advertising Tanya Pacheco Director Distribution Jason Christie Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron Durham Advisory Council Dan Carter; Esther Enyolu; Jake Farr; Dr. Vidal Chavannes; Cynthia Davis; Elaine Popp/Don Lovisa; John Henry; Sue McGovern; Kerri King; Steve Yamada; Kelly LaRocca; Peter Bethlenfalvy; Dr. Steven Murphy; Norah Marsh; Tracy Paterson; Chris Darling; Christina Curry CONTACT US This Week Phone: 905- 579-4407 Newsroom: 905-215-0462 Sales: 905-215-0424 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-579-2238 Web: www.durhamregion.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at durhamregion.com Delivery For all delivery inquiries, call 905- 579-4407 or visit the Contact Us page on durhamregion.com. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT DURHAMREGION.COM LETTERS & COMMENTARY First time ever! I went for a walk with an owl, believe it or not. Flushed it from a clump of cedars right in front of me along a narrow trail through some woods, and it jumped in surprise as it darted off ahead among the trees. Pointy wings, mottled brown, not as big and bulky as a great horned owl. I had no idea what it was, at first. Its flight reminded me of a marsh harrier's, but this was no place for that open-country, silvery bird of prey. I turned to Dennis, coming up behind me, and started sputtering a description, relieved to learn that he'd glimpsed it, too. Comparing details, we agreed it was probably a long-eared owl, a species migrating through at the time. I know so little about this secretive, nocturnal raptor, having come across so few over the years -- individuals that promptly flew off. I've heard their strange "hoo" calls on rare occasions in forests at dawn, but mostly know them from photographs -- skinnier versions of great horned owls, with straighter, more upright "ears" and a surprised look on their face compared to their larger cousin's glare. On high alert, clutching my binoculars, I crept on up the trail, hoping to spot the owl and get a better look ... only to have it flush again, and again. Then yet again, so well-hidden wherever it perched among the tangles that I never noticed it until, just metres away, it zoomed on once more. By that time I felt dreadful about disturbing this nighttime hunter from its all-important daytime sleep. But there was no way for us to branch off the rugged trail we were on, and instead of veering aside into the woods so we could pass it, as we hoped, our "owl escort" kept flying on ahead. Five times? Six? I was so glad when we finally reached a clearing and stopped "stalking" it. And so glad -- and guilty -- for the amazing time we'd had. Sharing a woods, a walk, with a long-eared owl! Breathing the same air! Like all birders, I don't share details of owl sightings. We humans are so enamoured of these wonderful, wise-looking creatures that we tend to ignore all protocols for their protection and literally mob them, rushing right into their faces with cameras, when they're tucked away, trying to sleep. My owl has by now moved on and is hopefully nesting in woods far north of a trail I'll never tell anyone about. My secret. My unforgettable memory. Nature queries: mcarney1490@gmail.com or 905-725-2116. Metroland columnist Margaret Carney finds so much to discover and marvel at exploring the great outdoors. COLUMNIST HAD AN 'OWL ESCORT' ON WOODLAND WALK MARGARET CARNEY FLUSHED BIRD, WHICH STAYED CLOSE MUNICIPAL ELECTION CHANGES PROPOSED To the editor: With only two inexpensive tweaks to the way we currently run our elections, we could greatly improve local governments by encouraging a wider range of candidates and ensuring diversity of representatives. The first is to migrate away from a mix of "ward" and "at-large" methods in municipal elections to atlarge only for all positions. Ward systems see candidates campaign to represent one geographic area, while under at-large candidates campaign across the entire municipality. By implementing at large, we avoid many ward weaknesses including: councillors who are hyper-focused on their individual wards; ward boundaries that need costly redrawing; and, reducing the probability of incumbents being acclaimed. The second tweak is to embed gender parity into local governments, as research studies have shown that more women in leadership roles provide greater diversity of ideas, greater collaboration and better outcomes. The at-large method makes it possible and practical to designate half the seats to women and half to men. Doing so would mean that women would campaign only against other women and men only against other men, thereby encouraging more women to participate in politics. There would be separate ballots, and only in the cases where not enough of one gender were nominated would there be deviations from 50/50. And even though there would still be only one mayor, there would be a larger pool of experienced male and female councillors to step up next election. The above could work well in Pickering. We currently elect three Pickering-only councillors, three Pickering plus Durham councillors and one mayor serving both the city and the region. I propose that we elect six Pickering-only councillors and then draw names, one from each of the pools of men and women, and one more of the opposite gender of the mayor. This would ensure gender parity representation at the region. While no electoral system is perfect, these tweaks get us much closer. PETER FORINT, PICKERING SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM MARGARET CARNEY Column